Great Career Success Debate: 6 ways to make the most of summer without an internship

Patrick O’Brien, author of Making College Count, entrepreneur and professor, squares off with career expert Dr. Susan Davis-Ali, founder of Leadhership1, author and Carlson School of Management faculty, on how to achieve success after college.

Susan’s Take: It’s true, summer internships are highly sought after and look great on your resume, but they are not the only way to get ahead in college. If you are one of the millions of college students without an internship this summer, here are six simple yet highly productive things you can do this summer to get a jump start on successful in the fall.

Establish a regular fitness routine that you can maintain at school. The key phrase being, “that you can maintain it as school.” It won’t do you any good to spend eight hour a day at the gym this summer if you’ll return to a sedentary lifestyle this fall. Choose an activity that you can reasonably continue to participate in three to four times a week. Take into account your access to fitness classes, equipment and finances at college when choosing your fitness routine. Learn what’s free and available at your school. Endorphins are the secret weapon to fighting college stress and fatigue. Successful students use this secret weapon to their full advantage.

Start your coursework now. Everyone needs a break from studying, but no one needs an entire summer off. Summer is a great time to re-engage in schoolwork in order to lessen your load in the fall. If you’re not able to take an actual course for credit (many colleges offer on-line summer classes), find out the reading material for your labor intensive courses and start reading now. Start a virtual study group with friends help hold each other accountable. You’ll be steps ahead of the pack when your full course load hits in the fall.

Get organized. When it comes to college success, being organized is just as important (if not more important) than being smart. Organized students get the most out of every hour in the day. They are on-top of their work, they don’t miss assignments, and they don’t forget things. Being organized also helps reduce stress. De-clutter your life by unpacking your suitcases, backpacks and boxes from last semester. Check out one of the many free To-Do Checklist apps and start practicing good organizational skills now.

Susan’s Bottom Line: So you didn’t land a summer internship. That’s OK. There are still plenty of things you can do this summer to set yourself up for maximum success this fall. Get organized, de-clutter your stuff (which will de-clutter your brain), establish a fitness routine you can maintain when you return to school, and get a jump start on your courses. You’ll be energized, organized, and ready to compete head-to-head next semester with your colleagues who had the summer internships.

Pat’s Take: I agree with Susan about the importance of internships. I also agree that your life isn’t over if you didn’t land one this summer. It’s tough to disagree with her suggestions of getting fit, getting a jump start and getting organized. However, I don’t want you to ignore some potential ways to learn about your major and/or future career field – and possibly even get some experience and/or create some new important relationships in your field of choice. Here are my thoughts:

Shadow. Find a professional (or three) in your field and ask him or her if you can shadow them for a day … or even two. You’ll learn a bit more about the field your major may lead to, and get a better sense of how well you like it. You may also learn something – which is great in the absolute and may help you in a future interview.

Google! Commit an hour a day to googling about fields of interest. Read relevant bloggers. Read the websites of organizations/companies of interest. Read what’s in the current media related to your profession. Most fields also have industry-specific websites. Find them and read them regularly. You’ll be amazed by what you learn. By the way, you’ll also pick up important industry jargon which will serve you well in future encounters with professionals in your field.

Stretch. I’m not talking about the kind of stretching that Susan mentions above. I’m talking about getting outside your comfort zone. What terrifies you professionally? Whatever it is, find a way to take it on and conquer it! If it’s public speaking, join Toastmasters. If it’s selling, volunteer for a local not-for-profit of interest and volunteer to make fund-raising phone calls for them. There are plenty “low risk” environments to stretch yourself and build important skills that will serve you later.

Pat’s Bottom Line: Never forget that career success is a journey. It’s more of a marathon than a sprint. If you’re always moving forward, regardless of how you do it, you’re making progress. Even if you don’t get what you want the first time (like an internship), look for ways to keep improving yourself and, in the end, you’ll win the race.

Are you transitioning from college to career or working in your first job after graduation? If so, we’d love to answer any question you may have related to career success. Send your first name, school, and/or employer to AskPatandSusan@gmail.com and we’ll try to address your question in a future article.